Three-wheel vehicle chassis



Feb. 18, 1930. E, L, PEARS N 1,747,526

THREE-WHEEL VEHICLE CHASS IS Original Filed April 8, 1927 INVENTOR 5 L. PEARSON ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 18, 1930 PATE O! F F ICE ERNEST L. PEARSON, or CHICAGO, ILLINoIs THREE-WHEEL VEHICLE CHASSIS Application filed April 8, 1927, Serial No. 182,137. Renewed. July 11, 1929'.

e vide a device of the type described which has novel means for removing the front wheel from the device.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the type described which has simple and novel means for moving the headlight with the front wheel.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the type described which is durable and efiicient for the purpose intended.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, andthe novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part of this ap plication, in which I Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device,

Figure 2 is a plan view of a portion of the 5 device, parts thereof being broken away,

Figure 3 isa section substantially along the line 3 3 of Figure 2,

, Figureis an enlarged view of a portion of the device, parts thereof being shown in section, and

Figure 5 is a section along the line 55 of Figure 4:.

In carrying out my invention, I provide a frame 1 includingtwo side members which 45. converge at their forward ends, and which are secured to a fork-supporting member 2. The fork-supporting member 2 is provided 7 with a bearing member 3 which has a longitudinal bore 4 disposed vertically therein.

V A wheel-supporting fork 5 is provided with downwardly extending side portions 6 and 7 and a head portion 8. A shaft 9 is provided. A lower bearing plate 10 having a ball race 11 and an upwardly extending oilretaining flange 12 is disposed concentric with the shaft'9 at the mid point thereof, and rests upon the head portion 8. A ballretainer disc 13 is disposed concentric with the shaft 9, rests upon the lower plate 10, and is provided with a plurality of openingsl l therein equally spaced in a circuitous path substantially adjacent the outer peripheral edge thereof. Ball bearings 15 are disposed in the openings 14: and permitted to ride in the ball race 11. An upper bearing plate 16 is disposed concentric with the shaft 9 and provided with a ball race 17. The bearing member 3 is permitted to rest upon the upper plate 16.

A head lamp 18 is rigidly mounted upon the end of the shaft 9 by any suitable means, and as the shaft 9 is keyed to the lower plate 10 at 19, the head lamp 18 will turn with the lower plate.

An arcuate-shaped gear segment 20 is secured to the peripheral edge of the lower plate 10 at the rear portion thereof. The lower surface of the segment 20 is tapered downwardly and provided with teeth 21. A pinion 22 is disposed in mesh with the segment 20, and is rigidly mounted upon a steering column 23. A steering wheel 24 is disposed at the upper end of the steering column 23,1whereby the pinion 22 may be rotated at wil The head portion 8 is rigidly secured to the lower plate 10 at a point directly in alignment with the rear portion of the ball race 11. The side portions 6 and 7 are provided with guide members 25 and 26 which have longitudinallyextending tongue portions27 and '28, respectively. The guide portions 25 are integral with the side portions 6 and 7, and the guide members 26 are hing-edly secured to their respective side portions M29. The lower ends of the guide portions 26 are provided with laterally extending integral slot members 30 which are secured to their respective guide 'members 25 by means, of; screws 31. :Bear ng members 32 having.

upper ends thereof. Washers 39 are disposed grooves 33 disposed longitudinally therein are slidably disposed between the guide members and 26, the tongue portions 27 and 28 being received in the grooves 33. A shaft 34 is rotatably mounted within the bearing 32, and a fore wheel 35 is carried by the shaft 34:.

Rods 36 which are rigidly secured to the bearing 32 and extend upwardly through openings 37 within the side portions 6 and. 7 are provided with reduced portions 38 at the concentric with the reduced portions-38.

' of the s'prings abutting plugs l2gwhich are' screwed in the openingsl;

Compression springs &0 are disposed in relatively large openings 41 in the side; portions 6 and 7 The lower endsof thesprings are resting upon the washers 39, the upper ends Brace rods l-3 which have their upper ends rigidly carried byth'e lower. l t .1 pass 7 downwardly and inwardly and have their lower ends adjustably secured to outwardly extendinglugs 44 which are integral with the aguide portions 25.

From the foregoing description of the vari- "ous'partsof the device, the operationthereof maybe readily understood. My'impr'oved three-wheel chassis is particularly well adapted for-taxi service, and for light delivery cars,

where it is necessary to turn about in a narrow street. One of the most important advantages of the improved construction isthe manner'in whlch the fore wheel is swung outwardly in the direction opposite that in which the Ve-' hicle is turning; Assuming that the driver wishes to turn to the right,-the steering wheel andthesteering column 23 are rotatedin a,

clockwise direction, thus rotating the pinion 22 in the same direction andmoving the fore wheel35 to the left, "and, at the same time, ro-

, tating the wheel about the shaft 9 as a center.

;Thisflmovement of the fore wheel tends to make the car lean toward the right, thereby removing the strain and preventing any possibility of the car turning over.; The weight upon the fore wheelis applied directly'to the ball bearings 15,.independent of the position thereof, 7

. he weight upon the fore wheel 35 is ap plied thereto through thesprings 40,,the rods I 36,-,and the bearings 32. .The tongue pgrtions 27 fand 2 8, guide the bearings 32 in their longitudinal movement, thus removing any lateral "strain from the rods 36. i

1Toremov'e the fore wheel 35, the screws 31 are first removed, and then the guideportions 1 V 26 are moved rearwardly, thus freeing the q-fore wheel. r r

wheel disposed between said side portions,

and bearing members for rotatably carrying said wheel, said bearing members movably' disposedbetween said stationary guides and said movable guides.

2. A device of the type described comprising a fork having a head portion, side portions carried by'said head portion, stationary guides carried by said side portions, movable guides carried by said side portions, a wheel disposed between said side portions, bearing members for rotatably carrying saidwheel, said bearing members movably disposed between said stationary guides and said movable guides, guide rods movably carried by said sideportions, the. lower ends Ofsaid guide rods secured to said bearing members, and spring means disposed adjacent the upper ends of said guide rods for resiliently securing said side members. to said'wheel.

A device of the type described comprising a fork having ahead portion, side por tions carried v by said head portion, station'ary guides carried by said side portions, movable guides carried by said side portions;

a wheel'disposed between said side portions,

bearing members for rotatably carryingfsaid wheel, said bearing members movably disposed between said stationary guides and said movable guides, guide rods movably carried by said side portions, the lower ends of said guide rods secured to said bearing -members, spring means disposed adjacent the upper ends of said guiderods for resiliently securing said side members to saidwheel, and means for removably securing said movable guides to said stationary guides, whereby said wheel from said side members. 7/

4. Adevice of the type described comp'ris' ing a fork having head portion, side portions carried by said head portion, stationary guides carried by said side'portions, movamaybe removed ble guides pivotally mounted upon said J side portions, a wheel disposed betweensaid side portions, bearing members for rotatably carrying" said wheel, said bearing members being inovably disposed-between said stamembers, and rods movably carried by said spring 4 supporting 'means' and said bearing ing a fork. having a head portion, side por ioo tionaryguide's and said movable guides,

spring supporting means carriedbyv said side 1 -side members and disposed-between said tions carried by said head portion, stationary I guides carried-by said side portions, movable guides pivotally' mounted upon said'side portions, a wheel 'disposedbetween saidside per .tions',1bearin members for rotatably carry;

ingjsaid wheel, said bearing'members being movably. disposed between-"said stationary guides "and said movable guides, spring supporting means, carried by said-side mem-" bers, rods movably carried by said side members and disposed between said spring supporting means and said bearing members, a frame, a bearing plate pivotally mounted at the center thereof to said frame, said head portion secured to said bearing plate eccentric with the pivot point of said bearing plate, and means for moving said bearing plate about the pivot, whereby said fork and said wheel may be moved laterally with respect to said frame.

6. A device of the type described comprising a fork having a head portion, side portions carried by said head portion, stationary guides carried by said side portions, movable guides pivotally mounted upon said side portions, a wheel disposed between said side portions, bearing members for rotatably carrying said wheel, said bearing members being movably disposed between said stationary guides and said movable guides, spring supporting means carried by said side members, rods movably carried by said side members and disposed between said spring supporting means and said bearing members, a frame, a bearing plate pivotally mounted at the center thereof to said frame, said head portion secured to said bearing plate eccentric with the pivot point of said bearing plate, means for moving said bearing plate about the pivot, whereby said fork and said wheel may be moved laterally with respect to said frame, and brace rods carried by said bearing plate and having their ends secured to said side portions for holding said side portions against displacement with respect to said bearing plate.

ERNEST L. PEARSON. 

